1963

I agree with Dgitalgirl: New Order songs are written intentionally to have an unclear purpose or meaning. Sometimes the lines even contradict each other on the same song. In particular, this song seems to be the story of a man who tells his wife that he's dumping her for another woman. It makes the comparsion of a so violent breakup on a marriage with an actual murder, like if the act of announcing the new love was actually shooting your wife to death. In my opinion, it is.

According to "A new order story" VHS, Bernard is intervied on the meaning of lyrics in N.O. songs. Bernard said that his lyrics really don't mean much and that he even tries to pull apart the song but ultimatelly there is no meaning. Although people like us assign meaning to it. Like this song 1963, I take each stanza and apply it to my life. For example: "There's too many ways that you can kill someone, like in a love affair" doesnt that sound like everyone's life? A love affair among other things ultimately killed Ian Curtis.

I always thought this song was from the point of view of a woman who was killed by her husband in 1963. The chorus is sung from her point of view when he is threatening her life. Other parts of the song are more narrative describing how the man later remarries. And, the truly tragic end of the song is apparently the dead wife lamenting from beyond the grave that she isn't with Johnny. She still loves him even after he killed her. LIke other victims she believe he never wanted to hurt her.

This song can have many meanings, there is no one real meaning behind most NewOrder songs. It is a great love tragedy song nontheless. Ian's death was the start of a musical journey that would not have taken place unless he sacrificed himself. The story of Joy Division's music and Ian himself is reflected in this song.

Very powerful!

The song IS about JFK. Sumner had this weird theory that JFK hired the mobster Jack Ruby to kill his wife, Jackie O. This so he could be with Marylin Monroe. However, the shooter misses and shoots JFK instead.

Then Marilyn commits suicide, realizing what happened, and Ruby kills Oswald because his hitman business goes bust.

Sumner never thought this all the way through though: Monroe committed suicide a year before JFK was assasinated. Otherwise an interesting theory, though.

But the song is sung from Jackie O's perspective, begging Jack to spare her.

The song's producer - Stephen Hague - has said that it's the only song about domestic violence you can dance to.

The date is inconsistent also (JFK was shot in November 1963), unless it is consistent when considered on a level that I can't even begin to understand. I prefer the relationship-breaking-up-tragically-resulting-in-a-domestic meaning (intense, deep; but what do you expect from Joy Division/New Order?) - bit like Suzanne Vega's Luka.

guys, you're being a little to literal with the 'shooting'. Johnny did not kill his wife. It is a metaphor for the ending of their love affair.

hence: There was too many ways that you could kill someone Like in a love affair, when the love is gone

he broke off their love/marriage and this was like the end of her world/life.

even at the end she says 'i dont want this bridge to burn' meaning she still misses him and doesnt want to lose contact with him still after all that time. she still feels for him.

This is certainly not about JFK at all. 1963 and John(ny) are there to confuse you about that. This is clearly a gay/bisexual song, and don\'t let anybody tell you differently. Johnny is about to murder his gay lover because he has a wife now (which is likely not his first wife due to the word "another" in the lyrics). Perhaps his first wife found out about his homo/bisexuality, and that\'s what caused the initial divorce. Now he doesn\'t want the wife to know or to get divorced again, and perhaps Johnny is ashamed of that same-sex side of him, so he attempts to eliminate that part of him by eliminating his gay lover. There it is. Spot-ON.

Lots of varying interpretations of this song! Not unusual for a New Order song, but somewhat unusual for a song that has a relatively straightforward narrative, for a New Order Song. I always interpreted this song to be about a different 'bizarre love triangle' where the narrator stole Johnny's wife and the two became estranged "I used to think of him, he used to think of me." Johnny surprises his friend by showing up at his house on his birthday "he was so very nice...to think of me at this point in time." But all is not forgiven as Johnny pulls a gun on him and then presumably shoots him. For me, this is supported by the lines in the following verse about the love affair where the love had gone and "she (the ex-wife) used to think of him, he used to think of her."

I suppose the interpretation about the wife could work as well. It just seems odd to me that she would be surprised at Johnny giving her a gift on her birthday and thinking of her. But it's possible that she left him, they became estranged and he came back to kill her because he felt she metaphorically killed him by leaving him. The line of the song that is somewhat comical line to me in an otherwise horrifying context is "Though he was ashamed that he had took a life, Johnny came back with another wife"- Johnny's reaction is so offhanded to murder, like I feel bad about it, but time to move on!

The ending of this song is so poignant with Peter Hook's gently strummed guitar line and the narrator expressing sorrow and lament, while at the same time finally feeling liberated of the torment of the moment and sense of guilt. The song structure is relatively simple for a NO song of this period (though beautifully effective), the compelling narrative definitely makes this song stand out.

wasn't j(ohnny)fk shot in 1963? just a thought..